Vox Sentences - Hurricane Idalia, explained in two maps

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Hey readers,

How’s it going? It’s Izzie Ramirez, and here’s what we’re following today:

Up first: Hurricane Idalia makes landfall. 

In other news: The Spanish soccer president controversy, explained; a rare blue supermoon tonight; and the $6 billion settlement for veterans.

See you in your inbox tomorrow!

Why Hurricane Idalia is so dangerous

National Hurricane Center

Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida earlier today. The potential impacts from Idalia are certainly frightening — ranging from 16-foot storm surges to tornadoes — but they’re not all that surprising. 

The lowdown: This region of the world has all the ingredients for a powerful, dangerous, expensive, and destructive hurricane: 

• Extremely warm ocean temperatures (even hotter than usual) that fuel tropical storms

• Average temperatures rising on land, which make extreme climate events more likely 
• Growing coastal populations that are vulnerable to storm surges

The stakes: Let’s take a look at two maps that give us a good idea of why Idalia poses such a threat. 

National Hurricane Center

The first looks at how the hurricane is pushing a huge amount of water inland in what’s known as a storm surge. Even a few feet of storm surge can be strong enough to sweep away vehicles. The projected 16-foot storm surge could knock out critical infrastructure, inundate roads, spread disease, and cause injuries.

Making matters worse: Florida’s Gulf Coast is a flat, low-altitude area: That means once it’s on land, high water levels can linger for days.

The next map depicts how Florida’s population is distributed.

Wikimedia Commons

More than 75 percent of Florida’s population lives by the coast. What this means is that strong storm surges are going to affect a lot of people — putting lives and property at risk.

Climate reporters Benji Jones and Umair Irfan have a full explainer on how Idalia might turn into one of the year’s most dangerous storms. Check out their piece — and five other maps! — here.

The Spanish sexual misconduct scandal roiling soccer, explained

Hector Vivas/Getty Images

Here’s what you need to know: 

• The Spanish women’s soccer team won the World Cup against England earlier this month. [New York Times]
  
  
• During the championship celebration, Luis Rubiales — the president of Spain’s soccer association — grabbed his crotch and then later kissed player Jennifer Hermoso without her consent as the team received their medals. [ABC News]
  
  
• Rubiales refused to resign as calls mounted for his removal. FIFA suspended him for 90 days as it investigates the incident. [ESPN]
  
  
• 11 members of the Spanish national women’s soccer program jointly resigned Saturday. Most of them were coaches. [CNN]
  
  
• The incident is reflective of ongoing tensions over identity within Spain’s soccer institutions and the country’s broader issues with sexism. The kiss isn’t the first time that Spanish soccer authorities have been condemned for abuse of power and sexual misconduct. [Vox]

Why top Republicans want to bomb Mexico

Long-shot presidential candidate Ron DeSantis said he would send US forces into Mexico “on day one.” Longer-shot presidential candidate Will Hurd explains why that’s a bad idea.

• Quite literally, brain worms. A 64-year-old woman in Australia suffered from forgetfulness, depression, and diarrhea. She had a 3-inch live worm wriggling around in her brain — a world first. [NBC News]
  
  

• The US government hoped companies would build wind farms off the Texas Coast. Except ... no one did. Offshore wind advocates blame Texas’s political environment for the lack of offers. [Texas Tribune]
  
  

• Manufacturer 3M agreed to pay $6 billion after the US military said faulty earplugs led to hearing loss and tinnitus. The earplugs were used in training and in combat from 2003-2015. [CNN]
  
  

• Rare blue supermoon lights up tonight’s sky. It’s a twofer: a blue moon (the second full moon in the month) and a supermoon (when the moon is closest to the Earth and appears fractionally larger). The next opportunity for that lunar double feature will be in 2037. [NPR]

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